Resale value of modified TOAD's

[Raining Star]

Having invested a chunk of change to install a base plate and braking system into my new Ford C-Max last year I'm now wondering if it will help or hurt it's future resale value.

I know I'm not going to get back much of what I've invested in it, but I wonder about the overall value. I'm sure that to the right buyer that stuff is a selling feature (assuming you can find such a buyer), but what about just its effect on a standard trade in for a new car?

Do they add, subtract or ignore the upgrades when calculating the trade in allowance?

[FlyingDiver]

As far as I can tell, the dealers didn't care one way or another about the tow setup when we were trading cars in. I'm sure it would help sell it, if you could find a buyer who wanted it for a toad. But when I tried selling our Liberty, I got very few inquiries from the RV-oriented sites I posted it on.

[Jmills1975]

I recommend marketing the vehicle on sites, such as this one, to target a specific demographic that wouldn't want the hassle of setting up a toad. I'm confident you would get more money than you would from a dealer on a trade. Heck, I guess you would get a better price selling on your own under most circumstances.

[FlyingDiver]

OTOH, be aware of the sales tax regulations in you domicile state. In Texas, if you trade the vehicle to a licensed dealer, you only pay sales tax on the difference between the trade and new vehicle. If you sell it privately, you'll pay sales tax on the new vehicle price. That certainly reduces the advantage of selling privately.

[Dutch Star Don]

I've always pulled my base plates off and sold them on Hitch Trader. Many people may not like the idea that you've been dragging the vehicle around and NOT recording mileage. I pull all gear and sell or trade.

[Raining Star]

Originally Posted by Dutch Star Don

I've always pulled my base plates off and sold them on Hitch Trader. Many people may not like the idea that you've been dragging the vehicle around and NOT recording mileage. I pull all gear and sell or trade.

That's a good point, though in my case I'd have to buy a new grill as the original had to be cut up to fit the base plate. That purchase could be a profit buster alone.

[keymastr]

If I was looking to buy a used car, one that had Toad equipment on it would be worth half of retail to me unless I was looking for a toad myself. Then it would be worth average retail. The tens of thousands of unrecorded miles would be a price dropper for me, not to mention wondering if it had ever suffered transmission damage from improper lubrication etc.

[MSHappyCampers]

We just sold a 2008 Honda Accord that we had been towing for two years. We sold it for the Kelly Blue Book retail. The baseplate and other towing equipment didn't affect the price one way or the other!

[f14av8r]

Sold my Lexus RX-330 in January. Left the baseplate, the REMCO lube pump, the Roadmaster Brakemaster wiring / air lines along with the breakaway bottle. The Ford dealer I traded with never even mentioned the tow gear though it was pretty obvious on that car both up front and under the hood. I feel certain a private buyer would have questioned it though.

I think it probably depends a lot on the age of the car when you sell it, as least as far as dealers are concerned. Most dealers won't put a car on their lot that is more than five years old. They wholesale them and never see them again. I think they would look a lot more closely at a newer car. And, I think the tow package would be a detractor.

Like KEYMASTR, I would never buy a car that had been towed four down. I sure hope people keep buying mine though!

[Bago40]

I sold a Smart car equipped with a Blue Ox base plate to a guy who wanted me to give him the tow bar so he could tow it behind his pickup truck. I didn't get more or less for the car and I didn't give him the tow bar.

I later traded a 2010 CRV for a 2012 CRV at a Honda dealer and got the normal low ball trade in. So I don't think that it helps or hurts.

The only good thing is that I installed all of the base plates myself so only lost about $350 each, the cost of a Blue Ox base plate.

[glarnold]

It's a pretty clear rule of thumb: if you're selling it, it lowers the value (and price), if you're buying it, it increases the price, but not the value. Clear?

[docj]

Originally Posted by keymastr

If I was looking to buy a used car, one that had Toad equipment on it would be worth half of retail to me unless I was looking for a toad myself. Then it would be worth average retail. The tens of thousands of unrecorded miles would be a price dropper for me, not to mention wondering if it had ever suffered transmission damage from improper lubrication etc.

Last year we traded our 2009 Malibu on a new CR-V. We were quite pleased with the trade-in allowance we received. We happened to be in the dealership a week later and saw our old car on the lot all cleaned up for sale. The dealership had removed the baseplate and the aftermarket hitch receiver we had installed. We were told that they didn't want any indication that the car had been towed or was used for towing.

[BeachDude]

Originally Posted by docj

......The dealership had removed the baseplate and the aftermarket hitch receiver we had installed. We were told that they didn't want any indication that the car had been towed or was used for towing.

I used to deal in car wholesaling in college, (early 90's - only Porsche and VWs). All signs of being a toad are removed before it's sold. I used to find many air cooled VWs with wear signs of a towbar installation on the front suspension.

Unlike real estate, there is no disclosure law for used cars regarding their prior life as a toad. Accidents and body work, yes. But being pulled for thousands of miles, no. That information is not disclosed to a potential buyer.

Most sane ordinary and unsuspecting people purchasing a late model slightly used car would walk away from it if they knew it had been used as a toad.

It might not affect the price, but it definitely affects it's appeal.